head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Classic inventory-puzzle deduction through a fixed comedic story.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Untangling surreal fixed puzzle chains room by macabre room.
Runaway 3: A Twist of Fate leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Rusty Lake Hotel leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Runaway 3: A Twist of Fate
Pointing and clicking is the only physical act
Rusty Lake Hotel
Pointing and clicking - no dexterity involved
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Runaway 3: A Twist of Fate
No opponent exists in a scripted story
Rusty Lake Hotel
No opponents, only macabre puzzle rooms
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Runaway 3: A Twist of Fate
Puzzle solutions are hidden only until found
Rusty Lake Hotel
Solutions are hidden until discovered, then fixed
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Runaway 3: A Twist of Fate
Inventory logic and dialogue puzzles have single fixed answers
Rusty Lake Hotel
Chaining surreal puzzle logic per room is the whole game
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.